Combined crucible and preheater.



No. 768,972. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904 Y J. A. AUPPERLB. COMBINED GRUGIBLE AND PREHBATER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

WITNESSES. IN VENTOH 7amzea .JZqaperZe fi Mz By I No. 768,972. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. J. A. AUPPERLE.

COMBINED CRUGIBLE AND PREHEATER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WITNESSES: N VE N 70/? #WM By M ATTORNEYS Patented August 30, 1904.

PATENT Grrrcs.

JAMES A. AUPPERLE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

COMBINED CRUCIBLE AND PREHEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,972, dated August 30, 1904;.

Application filed March 31,1904.

T0 (LZZ whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES AUGUSTUS AUP- PERLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Combined Crucible and Preheater, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to crucibles and to apparatus used in connection therewith, my more particular object being to produce a preheater in combination with a certain type of crucible in which said preheater is supplied with purified air.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indi cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a preheater and crucible equipped, certain parts being exhibited in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the crucible and its water-jacket. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section through the crucible. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the crucible and water-jacket upon the line 4 A of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the air-inlet with its waterjacket.

A burner 1, preferably of the Bunsen type, is provided with tubing 2, adjustments 3, and blast-nozzles A of any preferred form, and adapted to direct the flames'5 upon the crucible 6. This crucible is provided with a collar 7, rigidly mounted thereupon, and is engaged by a stopper 9, as indicated in Fig. 3, a ground joint 8 insuring a close fit. Said stopper may be milled, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Encircling the crucible is a hollow annular member 10, constituting a water-jacket. An inletpipe 11 passes downwardly through the waterjacket, as indicated in Figs. 1 to 3, and enters the crucible about half-way between the top and bottom thereof, as indicated in Fig. 3. An educt-pipe 12 runs from the bottom of the crucible up through the water-jacket 10 and is connected with a pipe 13 for conveying away the gases of combustion arising within the crucible. A scaffold 14, supported upon legs 15, is used for sustaining thecrucible. From the inlet 11 a flexible tube 16 runs to Serial No. 200,905. (No model.)

a rigid tube 17, which passes through a stopper 18 in a vertically disposed vessel 19. This vessel is hollow, as shown, and is partially filled with a caustic-potash solution 20. Also passing through the stopper 18 is a tube 21, having a bulb 22 integral therewith, and from the lower end of this bulb depends atubular portion 23, extending into the solution 20. A flexible tube 24 is connected with the rigid tube 21, passing through the stopper 18, and also with a U-tube 32, which passes through a small water-jacket 25, provided with a Water-induct 26 and a water-educt 27, this water-educt being connected by a flexible tube 28 with the water-jacket 10 at 29, so that water is supplied through the small waterjacket 25 and tube 28 to the larger waterjacket 10, making its escape through the discharge-outlet 30. A vertical support 31 is provided at its upper end with a bracket 33, having a movable jaw 3A and screw 35, whereby the water-jacket 25 may be detachably secured in position, as shown at the left in Fig. 1. A single burner 36 is provided with a blast-nozzle 37 for throwing the flame 38 directly upon the U-tube 32,as indicated in Fig.1.

The operation of my device is as follows: The burners being in action, the crucibles 6 and the bend of the U-tube 32 are heated simultaneously. By means of the pipe 13 or by any equivalent device the air is drawn out of the crucible 6, thereby producing a partial vacuum therein and forcing atmospheric air to enter the open end of the U-tube 32, as indicated by the arrow. The air when it enters theU-tube may be impure. If so, it is put through a process of purification before being allowed to enter the crucible. Not only is the air impure, but it often contains combustibles. The air passes through the water-jacket, then through the heated bend in the U-tube, then again through the water-jacket, being heated to a high temperature and then cooled. The heat should be sufficient to destroy all organic substances and all organisms which may be present. The air containing the gases generated by the heating of the U-tube is next carried by the flexible tubes 24 and 21 into the hollow bulb 22 within the vessel 19, passing downwardly through the pendent portion 23 and escaping through the liquid 20 in the form of bubbles, as shown at the center of Fig. 1. The caustic-potash solution removes by absorption the of combustion,together with any other impurities which may be contained by the air. The bulb or swell 22, having a diameter nearly as large as the internal diameter of the vessel 19, serves to prevent the flow of the causticmotash solution up through the tube 21, should there happen to be any back pressure of the ai r. In other words, should the caustic solution be forced upwardly through the tubular portion 23 into the bulb 22 the bulb has capacity enough to hold a considerable quantity of the liquid, and the volume of liquid in the vessel 19 is not suflicient, therefore, to travel upward through the tube 21. The air in passing upwardly through the caustic-potash solution 20 travels around the bulb 22 and through the tubes 17, 16, and 11 to the crucible 6, thence being drawn downward through the crucible while the same is in action, so as to pass into the tube 12, and thence upwardly and through the water-jacket 10 to the pipe 13, whence it is conveyed away.

The water is circulated successively through the two jackets by any means desired. The flexible tubes 24 and 16 are so connected with the rigid tubes 17 and 21 so as to be readily detached therefrom, for the reason that in some instances it may be desirable to use the U- tube for the combustion of methane and hydrogen in illuminating or fuel gases without using the crucible or other apparatus therewith. The U-tube 32 and the crucible are preferably made of platinum and the other parts constructed of a material suitable for their respective purposes. I do not limit myself, however, to any particular materials, nor do I limit myself to any particular use for the apparatus.

It will be noted that when air enters the crucible 6 it is absolutely pure and free from anything combustible.

It will be understood, of course, that the above description sets forth merely my pre- :ferred form and that the several details of the invention may be varied at will without departing from the spirit of my invention. This remark is particularly true with reference to the places at which the air may enter or leave the crucible.

The U-tube 32, taken together with the water-jacket 25 and its immediate connections, 1 denominate a preheater, for the reason that these parts serve to give the air a preliminary heating before the same is ready to enter the hollow member or crucible proper.

The main purpose of the crucible is the determination of carbon. As the tube 11 is heated by one of the same burners used for heating the crucible, the combustion is more. active and thorough, this combustion being perfected by the action of the tube 12 upon the air passing through it, any residual car bon or other combustibles carried by this air being completely oxidized, thus obviating the necessity for a future heating of this air.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a crucible provided with an air-induct and an air-educt, a preheater connected with said air-induct, and means for heating both said crucible and said preheater. 2. In an apparatus of the character described. the combination of a crucible provided with an air-induct and an air-educt, a preheater provided with an air-induct and an air-educt, and means for connecting together the educt of said preheater and the induct of said crucible. 3. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a crucible provided with an airinduct and an air-educt, means. for heating said crucible, a water-jacket connected with said crucible, a U-tube disposed adjacent to said crucible, means for heating said U-tube, separate water-jackets connected with said crucible and with said U-tube, and a common mechanism for supplying water to both of said water-jackets.

4:. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a crucible, means for heating the same, mechanism for supplying air to said crucible, and ahollow member to be filled with a solution for purifying said air while the same is in transit to said crucible.

5. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, the combination of a crucible, means for heating the same, a hollow member disposed adjacent thereto and adapted to be partially filled with a solution of caustic potash, a tubular member provided with means for admitting air and with a portion extending below the level of said solution of caustic potash, and means for rendering said hollow member airtight.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a crucible, means for heating the same, a hollow member disposed adjacent thereto and free to contain a liquid for the purpose of purifying air, a tubular member disposed within said hollow member and provided with a bulb. for taking up the por tion of said liquid should the same be actuated by back pressure, and means for supplying air to said crucible through said hollow vessel and said bulb.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a crucible, a water-jacket encircling the same, means for supplying wa ter to and from said water-jacket, and a pre heater connected with said crucible.

In testimony whereof I have sign ed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. AUIPERLE.

Witnesses:

JNo. V. CoFFmLD, CLYDE IV. Kis'rL'ui-t. 

